NIS Agent Reincarnated as a Genius Actor

A voice came from behind Yeon-woo.

“It would be better if we could shoot with our fighter jet, the Boramae, but since the prototype isn’t out yet, we brought the T-50B model.”

Turning around, Yeon-woo saw a military officer with a major’s insignia.

“Hello, I’m actor Ryu Yeon-woo.”

Yeon-woo greeted politely, and the officer returned the gesture with a sharp salute.

“I’m Major Ko Chang-kwon from the 239th Special Flight Squadron.”

Yeon-woo nodded and extended his hand for a handshake, noting the officer’s uniform.

“Ah, the Black Eagles. It’s an honor.”

Major Ko was surprised as he shook Yeon-woo’s hand.

“Oh, you know us?”

The Black Eagles are the Air Force’s special flight team, specializing in aerobatic flights. They participate in international air shows and perform at events like Armed Forces Day.

Seeing Yeon-woo’s bright eyes fixed on the fighter jet, Major Ko added,

“I’ve been informed that you have permission to sit in the co-pilot seat during the shoot.”

“Hmm, I see.”

Yeon-woo nodded with a hint of disappointment. The storyboard included a takeoff scene, and he had hoped for a flight. Despite his long career as an agent, he had never flown in a fighter jet. However, it made sense that they wouldn’t risk flying with a civilian due to potential safety concerns. They would likely use chroma key to composite the background and replace the takeoff scene with other flight footage.

‘The T-50B is more of an aerobatic aircraft than a fighter jet, but it’s still a bit disappointing.’

Yeon-woo shook off his lingering thoughts and looked around. Today, the focus was on acting, not the fighter jet.

Director Lee Yong-soo approached Yeon-woo and whispered,

“We’ll start with the fighter jet scenes today. We might only get two takes at most, Yeon-woo.”

“Two takes?”

Yeon-woo questioned, and Director Lee shook his head with a troubled expression.

“The client insisted on including the fighter jet scene. Even though the Ministry of National Defense sent a cooperation request to the Air Force, they didn’t allocate much time. I don’t know the internal reasons, but that’s the situation.”

Yeon-woo nodded quietly. He had expected a life-sized model or CGI, not an actual fighter jet.

‘Hmm, the client must be Chairman Seo Tae-kwang.’

It seemed there was some behind-the-scenes power struggle between certain military generals and the Ihan Group, likely related to the recent defense corruption scandal.

‘If it’s just a simple shot of boarding the jet, it could have been done at an Air Force base. Why go through the trouble of bringing it here and imposing time restrictions?’

Regardless, Yeon-woo had meticulously prepared his acting scenario, so completing the shoot in one take wouldn’t be an issue.

“Today’s shoot is going to be fun.”

Under Director Lee’s command, the staff quickly prepared for the shoot. Yeon-woo, now dressed in a flight suit, walked onto the set. Seeing him in the one-piece Air Force flight suit, Major Ko approached with a smile.

“You look like the coolest pilot I’ve ever seen. Is it a bit hot and uncomfortable? We brought an actual flight suit, after all.”

Understanding Major Ko’s concern, Yeon-woo grinned.

“It’s because it’s made of aramid material. It’s fine, I can manage.”

“Oh, you’re quite knowledgeable.”

Yeon-woo scratched the back of his head at Major Ko’s comment.

“I have a bit of an interest in the military…”

“Is that so? I had a feeling when you recognized the Black Eagles.”

Aramid is a fiber known for its bulletproof strength and its ability to withstand temperatures close to 500 degrees Celsius without melting. Major Ko felt a bit more connected to this young actor, thinking he was a military enthusiast. In reality, Yeon-woo was familiar with aramid because he frequently wore special mission suits made from the material during operations.

At that moment, Director Lee Yong-soo’s voice rang out.

“Alright, let’s save the complex scenes for later and start shooting from the modern era.”

There were quite a few scenes to shoot today. Ideally, they would start with the Goryeo period character Seo-hee and end with the modern Air Force pilot. However, since the Ministry of National Defense had arranged the fighter jet’s schedule, it made sense to shoot the fighter jet scenes first. Moreover, as they progressed into the past, the makeup complexity increased, making it easier for Yeon-woo and the makeup team to shoot in reverse order.

‘But I’ll have to reverse my emotional adjustments.’

Having practiced extensively, Yeon-woo confidently stepped in front of the camera.

“Major, please board the fighter jet, and let’s align the movements of the extras.”

Major Ko nodded and climbed into the cockpit of the fighter jet.

“Since our shooting time is tight, let’s aim to get it in one take after the rehearsal.”

“Yes!”

“Let’s go. High cue.”

The movement rehearsal began. Yeon-woo, dressed in the flight suit and holding a helmet, started walking. Extras surrounded him, checking the state of his flight suit and explaining the operation plans until the last moment. Yeon-woo nodded and climbed the ladder connected to the cockpit.

Director Lee nodded in approval.

“Okay. Let’s shoot the main scene with these movements. Set up the cameras.”

Hearing the director’s signal to start the main shoot, Yeon-woo climbed back down the ladder. The main shoot began. The camera director followed Yeon-woo’s movements on a rail, capturing him as he walked. Yeon-woo followed the rehearsed movements, walking with a determined expression. There was no significant change in his facial expression.

Extras surrounded him, checking various details and dispersing as Yeon-woo continued to walk forward, his gaze unwavering.

“Hmm…”

While there was nothing particularly wrong, Director Lee seemed somewhat dissatisfied. Noticing his expression, the assistant director whispered.

“…It feels a bit bland, doesn’t it, Director?”

Director Lee, stroking his chin, looked at the assistant director.

“You feel the same?”

“Yes.”

As Director Lee pondered, Yeon-woo had already completed the complex movements and climbed into the co-pilot seat. The canopy closed, capturing the entire process in one take.

“Cut. There’s nothing particularly wrong, but…”

Director Lee kept tilting his head in contemplation.

Given that actor Ryu Yeon-woo’s recent projects had all been successful, the contrast between the storyboard provided by the advertising company and the current scene on set was naturally stark. Director Lee Yong-soo, who had reviewed the storyboard and referenced Yeon-woo’s stellar performance as Seo-hee in ‘The Star Beyond the River’, found the current scene lacking in intensity.

As Yeon-woo dismounted from the cockpit and approached, Director Lee spoke to him.

“Ryu Yeon-woo.”

“Yes, Director.”

“Everything’s fine, but it feels a bit bland. Could you give it a bit more of a cinematic touch?”

Yeon-woo nodded, understanding the director’s request.

‘It seems my interpretation of the storyboard differs from the director’s.’

Yeon-woo had somewhat anticipated this reaction from Director Lee.

“Sure, Director. Can I check the footage we just shot?”

“Of course. Jin-sung, put it on the monitor.”

“Yes, Director.”

The staff operated the equipment, and the scene Yeon-woo had just filmed appeared on the field monitor. Yeon-woo nodded as he watched.

“Got it. Thank you.”

He returned to the starting point of the scene.

‘The first take captured what I intended. But since the director wants a different approach, I’ll adjust my performance accordingly.’

The first take had been intentionally subdued, as per Yeon-woo’s plan. Ultimately, it was up to the director to decide what to use during editing.

The shoot resumed. This time, Yeon-woo walked with a more solemn expression, as the director had requested. His eyes burned with determination, as if he were resolute in vanquishing the enemy before him. His steps were filled with passion and vigor.

Watching Yeon-woo through the field monitor, Director Lee finally looked satisfied.

“Yes, this is it. Maybe Ryu Yeon-woo wasn’t fully warmed up earlier. This could be the final take.”

It seemed Director Lee had a different interpretation of the storyboard compared to Yeon-woo, but he applauded the second performance.

“Okay. Cut! That was excellent, Yeon-woo.”

“Thank you.”

With a faint smile, Yeon-woo descended the ladder, acknowledging the director’s approval. Meanwhile, Director Lee extended his hand to Major Ko Chang-kwon.

“Thank you very much for your cooperation today, Major.”

“Not at all. I’m just following orders. I’m glad I could help.”

The staff quickly moved to open the back door of the set. It became apparent that the studio had been converted from a hangar. Kim Min-soo approached with a bottle of water and asked,

“Wow, actor. How will that jet get back? There’s no runway here, so it can’t fly out. Will they transport it somehow?”

Major Ko, overhearing Kim Min-soo’s question, responded.

“The Wonju Air Base is right next door. It just needs to be driven a short distance down the back road.”

Hearing this, Kim Min-soo chuckled and commented,

“If it gets into a traffic accident on the way, the insurance company would be baffled. Imagine reporting a collision with a jet.”

“…They might ask if it was a walker instead.”

Yeon-woo, pondering Kim Min-soo’s absurd comment, replied seriously. Having experienced all sorts of incidents on set, he didn’t dismiss it as mere nonsense.

Major Ko scratched his head and added, listening to the bizarre conversation between the actor and his manager.

“Ahem, there are military vehicles escorting the jet from both front and back, so there’s no chance of an accident.”

“Oh, I see.”

Kim Min-soo nodded, his curiosity satisfied. As the hangar doors fully opened, Major Ko and the military personnel departed, leaving behind a mountain of scenes still to be shot.

Director Lee Yong-soo’s voice echoed through the set.

“Alright, let’s prepare for the modern era scenes.”

The shooting progressed rapidly. Although they had finished the modern pilot scenes, there were still five more plots to shoot, ranging from Seo-hee to the young soldier. Everyone was prepared for an all-night shoot.

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***

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In the center of the set, after finishing his scene as an independence fighter, Ryu Yeon-woo drew whispers from the staff.

“…Did you see that performance just now?”

“For a moment, I thought we were on the Manchurian plains.”

A lighting crew member, who had goosebumps from Yeon-woo’s intense acting, rubbed his arms while watching Yeon-woo head to the makeup room for the next scene.

“Maybe we’ll finish before dinner tonight…”

The hopeful comment from one staff member adjusting the lights was met with a shake of the head from another.

“That’s wishful thinking. We have six sets today.”

“But we’ve already knocked out two sets, and we haven’t even had lunch yet.”

“Knocked out? What is this, a bulgogi burger set? Look at the remaining sets. Unless Ryu Yeon-woo nails every scene in one take, just setting them up will take a lot of time.”

“Hmm, maybe you’re right.”

Whether aware of the staff’s hopes for an early wrap or not, Yeon-woo was in the makeup room, transforming into a young soldier from the Korean War.